The Rainforest Way

Fast facts

• Meandering loop drives through the lush, World Heritage-listed rainforests of northern NSW
• Short, half-day drives between 80 and 95 kms, departing from centres such as Murwilllumbah, Lismore, Casino and Kyogle.
• Easy access by flying to Ballina, Byron or the Gold Coast

Why drive it

The Rainforest Way is a series of loops and trails where you can explore some of the State’s most inspiring sub-tropical rainforests. The bowl of the eroded Tweed volcano is the centrepiece, a dish-shaped caldera some 40 kilometres across. The dramatic spike of Mt Warning, a 1,157m plug of solidified lava, towers dramatically above the forest and the gently meandering Tweed River.

On the valley floor the forest has given way to banana plantations, sugar cane farms and peaceful country towns that seem under siege from the surrounding vegetation.

There are several spectacular national parks to explore here. They form part of the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, recognised as a rare biological wonderland.

To make the most of your journey along the Rainforest Way, drop into the Murwillumbah World Heritage Rainforest Centre to learn about the rare wildlife and botanic splendours of the region.

Along the way

• Take the spur road that climbs the base of Mt Warning and walk the 200m Lyrebird Walking Track.
• Walk to Minyon Falls, where the stream topples from a height of 100m to explode against rocks on the valley floor of Nightcap National Park.
• Follow the walking trail to Protesters Falls, winding through a shady canopy of bangalow palms on Terania Creek to a green pool fed by a 30m veil of spray.
• Stop off at the village of Nimbin and experience the very different character of Australia’s counter-culture capital.
• Admire the works in Murwillumbah’s Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, an outstanding contemporary art gallery and home to the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, the world's richest annual portraiture prize.
• Call in at the Historic village of Tyalgum, the venue for one of the nation’s best annual classical music festivals.
• See the Antarctic beeches at Bar Mountain Picnic Area on the Tweed Range Scenic Drive, remnants of Gondwanaland.
• See rare and endangered native animals at remote wilderness refuges along Paddy’s Flat Road where you can go canoeing, birdwatching and bushwalking.

Don’t miss

• Inspiring views over the valley from the café of the Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, Murwillumbah
• Murwillumbah's World Heritage Rainforest Centre for maps and touring tips 
• Fresh coffee, avocados and macadamia nuts from roadside stalls along the way
• The famous Channon markets held each month in a pretty village close to Nimbin
• Spectacular Pinnacle Lookout on the Tweed Range Scenic Drive
• Hanging Rock Falls, on the Nimbin-Kyogle loop, for its spectacular waterfall and cool swimming pool